Siege of Vicksburg
UNIT 12: Civil War ENds
Lesson: THe Siege of Vicksburg
8.63 Explain the significance of the following battles, events, and leaders during the Civil War, including: Battle of Vicksburg.
THE TURNING POINT
In 1863, the war raged on with no end in sight. Then in July, two decisive battles turned the tide of the war in favor of the north, the Battles of Gettysburg and the Siege of Vicksburg.
The Battle of Vicksburg
GRANT TAKES THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
In the Spring of 1863, General Grant began a bold campaign to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was a strategic port city. Abraham Lincoln said, "Vicksburg is the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket."
Grant marched his Union Army down the banks of the river and captured Mississippi's capital city, Jackson, and then turned toward Vicksburg. The Union Army pushed the Confederates into the city and laid siege for more than 40 days. The union Army bombarded the city and cut it off from food, supplies and reinforcements.
The Battle of Vicksburg lasted from May 18 to July 4, 1863. On July 4, the Confederates surrendered. The victory at Vicksburg allowed the union to split the confederacy in half and take control of the Mississippi River.
The Gettysburg Address
A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln visited Gettysburg, the site of one of the most important battles of the Civil War. Local officials gathered in the southern Pennsylvania town near the Maryland border to dedicate a cemetery for fallen soldiers, and Lincoln was invited to deliver a speech at the ceremony.
Lincoln’s address was short, only 272 words, spoken in under two minutes. But, it delivered an important message to the American public about the significance of war.
In his speech, Lincoln spoke of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, claiming that America was dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal." He sought to preserve the ideals that the nation was founded upon.
Lincoln saw an opportunity for a new birth of freedom. He called on Americans to reaffirm their commitment to the Union so that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth."
AN ENDURING IMPACT
At the time, Lincoln had no idea about the importance his speech would become. He said as much in his address: the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it will never forget what they did here. However, Lincoln’s remarks at Gettysburg were reprinted in newspapers all across the country the next day. The Gettysburg address continues to be recognized as one of the greatest beaches in US history.
The main speaker at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg was not Abraham Lincoln but a famous orator, or public speaker, named Edward Everett. Everett address the crowd of 1500 people for more than two hours! After the event, Everett wrote to Lincoln, I should be glad if I could flatter myself and I came as close to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.